The 3 Reasons Why Ancient Greece So Advanced

Further ReadingThe 4 Most Important City-States Of Classical Greece

Across the world people have been amazed at how advanced the ancient Greeks were. The ancient Greeks had indoor plumbing and four story high buildings around 2,500 years ago. What was the reason then why ancient Greece was so far ahead of its time?

There are 3 reasons why ancient Greece was so advanced and ahead of its time. First, the Greek world was located in the perfect spot for trading. Second, the massive amount of different cultures in Greece encouraged inventions. Third, because of ancient Greece’s large population a need to manage it pushed societal advancement.

These are the main 3 reasons why ancient Greece was capable of advancing so fast in relation to other cultures in history. It would not be until the time of the Romans or even the modern era where Greek technologies would be re discovered.

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Without further ado, here are the 3 reasons why ancient Greece was so advanced.

The Ancient Greek World Was Located In The Perfect Spot For Trading

One of the main reasons why ancient Greece was so advanced was because it was located in the perfect spot to become a massive trading hub for the ancient world.

Located between the ancient Europeans, Egyptians, Latins, and Indus Valley civilizations, ancient Greece was a giant melting pot of ideas and trade.

During the ancient Bronze age of 2,500-1,200 BC the Greek Minoan civilization would become the dominant culture in ancient Greece. Historians have found artifacts and primary sources which depict Minoan artifacts as far as ancient Egypt. Further, there is evidence that the Minoan civilization engaged in trade across the Mediterranean Sea and imported foreign goods such as papyrus paper.

After the collapse of the Minoan civilization the Greek Mycenaean civilization would come to power. Here was when Greek trade exploded across the Mediterranean sea. We have discovered Mycenaean goods as far as Spain which indicates that ancient Greece was a major trading hub.

Because of this extensive trade the ancient Greeks would see the ancient world. From this ideas would flow back to Greece which would allow for rapid advancement of society and technology.

This rapid diffusion and spreading of ideas would set Greece up during the classical era to become one of the most advanced civilizations in ancient history. Simply put, the ancient Greeks were capable of taking other ideas from other cultures and mixing them with their own.

The Massive Amount Of Different Cultures In Ancient Greece Encouraged Inventions

One of the main reasons why ancient Greece was so advanced was because of the massive amount of cultures which existed within it.

Each city-state of ancient Greece had its own culture, economy, and identity. These city-states were good at a couple things and became known across Greece for it.

An example of this can be seen in the Greek city-state of Corinth. Corinth was located on the Isthmus strait. A narrow piece of land which connected the Peloponnese peninsula with mainland Greece.

Because of this strategic positioning Corinth was able to become a thriving trade hub. However, the real allure of this location was a 4 mile rock channel called the Diolkos. This rock channel allowed merchants to pay a fine to have their ship dragged 4 miles across the strait thus saving days worth of travel time.

The reason why Corinth innovated and created this 4 mile long toll passage was because it would allow them to tax the wealthy Athenian navy. Athens was the largest mercantile city-state in ancient Greece and generated a majority of their wealth through conquest, trade, and farming.

Ancient Greece was filled with unique city-states which each innovated and created different ways to generate power and prestige over their fellow Greeks. Over time this competitive culture between the Greek city-states would create an advanced and flourishing culture.

This is one of the main reasons why ancient Greece became so advanced in relation to the other cultures around the Mediterranean Sea.

Ancient Greece’s Large Population Created A Need To Manage It Which Pushed Societal Advancement

One of the main reasons why ancient Greece was so advanced was because of its massive population.

Unlike other regions of the world ancient Greece was able to build up a large population early on in its history. By the time historians began to get ‘accurate’ population reports sometime in the 5th century BC the population of Greece was around 2-3 million people.

Most of this population was centered around the city-states of ancient Greece. Several city states had a large population of above 30,000 people in the city itself. However, the largest of these city-states was Athens which by the year of 432 BC had a population of over 150,000 people.

These numbers are a conservative estimate. We have reports from ancient historians that number the population of the city of Athens at around 300,000 during the 5th century BC. However, many of these ancient reports are seen as exaggerations by the historian.

However, these large populations in the cities created a need to manage it. Athens for example created an advanced government which is seen by western historians as the birthplace of modern Democracy. Here each Athenian citizen would be given the ability to vote on actions undertaken by the city.

On top of this Athens would begin to develop basic sanitary and plumbing buildings within the city to support the large population. Not much from this time period remains however as Athens has since been rebuilt several times. However, what is clear is that in order to support such massive populations the city-states of ancient Greece would have to develop several new technologies and societal advancements.

As such, one the main reasons why ancient Greece was so advanced was because of the need to provide for its large urban population which drove technological advancement.

Conclusion

There you have it; an entire article on the 3 reasons why ancient Greece was so advanced and ahead of its time.

In reality one of the main reasons we think that ancient Greece was advanced is because we have evidence for the culture’s existence. Other advanced cultures existed at the same time as the Greeks however their history has been lost to us outside of certain mentions by ancient authors.

Here at The History Ace I strive to publish the best history articles on the internet. If you enjoyed this article then consider subscribing to the free newsletter and sharing around the web.

Further, you can check out some of the other articles below.

Sincerely,

Nick

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